Cost of Sending Albany to Kindy

I have been confused by the school system here but have never gotten around figuring it out. Until today. That is because little Albany is going to school from tomorrow onward. We enrolled her at a public school within a walking distance from where we live. I was told by lots of people that the suburb I am living in is a bad one. You know, high crime rate (debunked), high presence of Muslim and Aborigines community etc. the usual shit. In general, Asian (actually probably Singaporean) parents tend to avoid sending their kids to schools within suburbs with such reputations. Not me. These are totally fine by me. Will not be moving to Canningvale (New Singapore) because of these.

So forward and onward, Albany shall attend the public-independent school within walking distance, because it is within walking distance. I have no idea what is the difference between a normal public school and a public-independent school. All I know is I cannot afford to send my kids to private schools. So any public school will suffice, especially so since the school Albany is going to is one I have been driving past every day on my way home from work. No unruly school children, or idiots darting onto service roads abutting the school like what we used to do during our Primary School days in Singapore. The school compound is old but large and spacious. Facilities are well maintained so the age of school doesn't matter.

I shall share what I learnt, it may come useful for any clueless parents of young kids coming my way.

The batch of children for each intake has a cut-off date on the 1st of July, so registration for school will take place by June/July. This is unlike in Singapore where we simply took in a batch from 1st Jan to 31 Dec. I am not sure what is the purpose of such arrangement. I have heard comments from slightly annoyed Singaporean parents who lamented that their kids are "slower" because they are born after the 1st of July and have to start school 1 year later then their age equivalence peers in Singapore. Duh. Oh come on. Anyway, this is what I figured out how it should look like:

Definition

4-5 years old - "Kindy" (It is a non-compulsory level, 5 days/fortnight)
5-6 years old - "Pre-school"
6-7 years old - "Year 1"
7-8 years old - "Year 2" and so on

Cost

Parents are encouraged to to do "voluntary contributions" to the school. That is a polite way of putting things because parents have to contribute somehow because it is for the implementation and resourcing of additional programs carried out during the year. Let's just regard it as school fees for simplicity's sake.

Fees

The cost of contribution is $60 per child per year for this school. Some schools only require $50, the others may be more or less but the variance should not be too high across all public schools. Private schools though, you don't want to know. If you are filthy rich to consider sending all your kids to private schools, you probably don't care about that extra $1000 difference across different schools anyway.

Some schools require children to attend school in official uniform (pretty much like Singapore schools). Other schools only require children to come in similar coloured clothing. Since this school allows us to clad Albany in own clothes, we opted out of buying the official uniform with the school logo. Besides, we will have to move her to another neighbourhood school when we shift house in a few month's time. So old uniforms will not be reusable due to difference in colour.

Uniform

The cost of official uniform with logo for this school:

$40-$50 a set for Summer (depending on what you choose among shorts/skorts/skirt)
$50-$65 a set for Winter (price difference between hooded wear or jacket)
$15 for a broadbrim hat
shoes and socks (no logos)

All these items are compulsory, including the hat since they have a "No hat, no (outdoor) play" policy.

The cost of "uncoded" uniform (that we opted for)

$9 a set for Summer
$20 a set for Winter
$6 for a broadbrim hat
$9 a pair of shoes
$1 a pair of socks

Stationery

Each level will be given a list of recommended stationery to use for the year. For this level, it cost us $64.70 for the entire lot.

"I left the door unlocked so that you can come in because I love you so much."

- Albany, 21/11/2016

Emails 2017

Hi Nix,

I came across your interesting blog and wish to ask on your honest opinion.

Do you think it's a good idea to pay 6 months worth of house rental in advanced to secure a place to stay before we go over. Our situation makes it a little difficult to look for one in Darwin with 2 dogs that we couldn't leave behind. And we don't have a job there yet. Oh, we have gotten a 489 visa. And we are intending to move somewhere in June with our 2 dogs and an almost 2 year old kid.

Appreciate your intake on this.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Elaine,

The housing market is currently quite depressed so it should not be difficult to find rental properties. I don't think it is a good idea to pay 6 months in advance at all. You shouldn't find it a problem to get one. If you face any difficulties, let me know the details and see if I can give you ideas.

Hi,

Saw your blog while searching on Singaporean based overseas and hopeful can meet a bunch of you all if i ever go over eventually.

For myself after looking at migrating or completing the process before i do not have enough points to qualify.

Basing on my current situation, it seems since my CV is leaning towards the marketing and financial field. Which in this case seems only Adelaide and Darwin is the only option for Subclass 190.

Do you know any fellow Singaporeans based in either place?

Anyway, for me is more towards wanting a more laid back life and changing the environment. Ideal situation would be to work another 10 years before settling with a small farm land in the country in Aussie. But my worry is whether i would be able to secure a job in Aussie especially with my advance in age 38?

Lastly, any good advice for a frog in the well on his migration journey to aussie?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

Stanley

Hi Stanley,

If you cannot qualify for skilled migration on points, you will not be able to work here, unless you find an employer who is willing to hire you for your skill set and apply for a work visa for you. It is unlikely in this economic climate but may be your only chance.

Dear NIx,

Good day!

I have been reading your blog and decided to migrate to Australia.

I have been researching on how to go about migrating to Australia and unfortunately, I seem to have hit a road block, thus writing this email to seek your advice on which type of visa should i apply.

I will be turning 36 next year. BE Chemical Engineering from UNSW (Stayed in Sydney for 2.5 years and graduated in 2008). Msc in Maritime Studies from NTU (Graduating in June 2017). Currently working as a Business Development Manager in the Shipping Industry. I have also attached my CV for your reference.

I am confident of getting 60 points in the Points Test BUT my current job is not on the SOL list.

My mother's cousin is a PR in Australia and she and her family are living in Perth (I do not know whether this information helps)

I was thinking of taking part time courses in ITE in Electrical Wiring, Residential Plumbing or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration since these jobs are on the SOL list.

Any advice will be really appreciated.

Regards,

Colin Soh

Dear Colin,

First thing first, I would like to know how you qualify for 60 points in the Points Test. Will you be able to provide a breakdown ?

*Please note that if your occupation is not on the SOL, you will not be able to claim points for work experience nor academic qualifications.

Hey buddy!

Was scrolling through and landed on your site. Loved the Art of Survival; plain, blunt yet simple.

I'm a local Sporean dude and just got my PR. Currently workin on contract job and planning to move down under. I realise getting a job in Oz from Spore isn't gonna be easy. Thought of giving it a try since its been just a month. Plan B is to just move and get an unpaid internship for 3 mths. Any advise?

Kind regards,

Hi dude,

To be honest, I don't have a single clue about unpaid internship or anything like that. If you manage to get one of those, I will appreciate if you can let us know the details so we can all learn from you.

I apologise for being painfully obvious but if you find it hard to find a job in Australia from Singapore, then come here and look!

Hello,

My name is Adam and I cam across your blog about migrating to Australia. I would love some advice or experience that you can share with me with regards to my questions.

First of all, I am a US bachelor grad in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the US for 2.5 years. I am a Chinese Malaysian and I'm 25 years old by March (2017). Do you have any ideas or suggestions on migrating to Australia? The subclass 189 doesn't allow me to accumulate enough points because of my work experience did not meet the requirement of 3 years which I was told that usually the Australia immigration officer pay the most attention to. If you disagree with that statement, I would like to hear your advice on that.

The other way I thought is by studying my Masters degree there and while studying, I could think of an idea to set up a business there. Didn't research much into this path but if you have experience with this path, I appreciate a lot if you are willing to share.

Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon,

Regards,

Adam

Hi Adam,

It sounds really simple. Choose the path of least resistance. Work for 3 years to gain your 60 points then! You'll need the funds to relocate anyway.